The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-02-24
PRISON N0IiIi.

(Corrcsp,n once oi In" n. G. P,c,byt,r,an)
1t has been said that every true mothcr
sees her own boy in tho face OF every
other boy, tlnt the mOthCr-hrurt ycarns
for the welfare OF all. From this princi-
pic it is easy to comprehend why this
State organization feels an interest in all
the boys Ol tine State, and dcsir, that
! that they arrive ut Il true and noble man
hood. Dear sister, did your mother.
! heart ever take i'll the Thought that the
maJorlty OF prisoners are under twenty.
Two years OF age, that unr-thirI are un.
der sixteen, mere boys who need n
mothers tender care? Possibly the
mother is only one in name, or she
may sleep under the clOds Of The valley.
Boys, mere children, not more than
eight years of age, have been sentenced
TO the pcnitcntiary in our own State this
year. What future is before such
Shut i'll with older criminals, instead of
being improved by the punishment they
are turned ont months saiterwurdstraincd
criminals who delight in vicious habits,
again and again to go behind prison bars
unit! finally some dreadful deed demands
the life to pay the penalty.
1t makes ones heart bleed to think Of
the children who arc trained as criminals
by long waiting i'll jail with older experts
who are anxious fOra pupil to whom to
lmpart their vile Hblndnncc. Some steps
ought to be taken to remedy this prepa-
ration Of criminal lives. The State has
IL right to protect itself. 1t would be
economy to fill these idle moments in
jail viii. labor Nothing 50 torturcs IL
child us to have nothing to do. Hard
labor Is far more desirable. And chl-
drrn III pcmitcntiurics should not miss
all the years for mental discipline.
They have been idle, prolligutc, but
now in the hands of the STATE they
ahouId be turned out improved 1t is
not oar duty us an assembly Of Christian
women to present to the Legislature the
propricty of making provisions for Il
state Rcform School undor the care Of
IL Christian superintendent and lnutron,
and 8odly teachers, where those con
Vlctcu OF crime under seventeen years of
age, shall be placed to be reformed,
cducntcd and established in the right
way! 1t should DO II manual labor
school, located upon Il farm with such
appliances rs are necessary to teach
trades. NaGrancy itself should be n
sufficient offence to send boy to this
home. We need more Of the Jewish
idea Of industry forming a part OF the
basis of morality in training children,
which is oppressed III their prOvcrb, "'Io
that tcachcth not his boy Il trade does
the same rs if nc taught him to steal. ;"
Often these young criminals arc the
children Of drunkards who have inher-
tied evil tendencies. Often the crime is
the direct result Of drink itself.
\ few years Of this rciOrmatOry life,
while the character is being formed, will
turn out to the State many IL steady,
educated citizen, who, if his boyho0d
had been spent III Il State pcnitcntiary,
would have been, by repeated offence, a
lar greater expense to tho country, be-
side the sorrow he may have caused.
This plan Of treating criminal BOYS is
both polite and human, not to saw
Christian. Many IL boy Just as guilty,
and more 50, than those in the pUnitcn-
tmry, continues aJ home and becomes so
improved and established by the home
Ihlucncc5 as to become popular and
uactuI man. Home, ono of three bright.
est stars III every boys inner sky, is the
great moral factor in determining hi,
alter life. We agree that the home in
llucncc cannot with economy to tn,
state bc dispensed with, even for crimi
nal children, and that it should bu SUD
pIlcd III the Reform Home.
MARY @. WOODY.